Jones, now the youngest title holder in UFC history, showed flashes of brilliance en route to claiming the promotion’s light heavyweight title in a three-round dismantling of former champ Mauricio “Shogun” Rua

The bout served as the main event of Saturday’s “UFC 128: Shogun vs. Jones” event, which took place Saturday night at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., and aired on pay-per-view.

Jones maintained an eerily calm demeanor throughout the contest as he dominated Rua in absolutely every aspect of the fight. From his trademark spinning elbows to Anderson Silva-esque side kicks to the knee, Jones striking prowess and stunning range meant Rua’s vaunted Muay Thai served him little value. Jones’ massive frame dwarfed his opponent in the cage, both on the feet and the floor, and the two looked as if they were competing in some open-weight bout of olden days.

Jones patiently attacked Rua and appeared to be simply picking his shots as he played with his opponent like some mortally wounded pray. The opening came with a pair of knees and a straight punch that rocked Rua at the close of the opening frame. The Brazilian never recovered.

In the second, Jones stayed at distance and picked his opponent apart from the outside. Staggered, swelling and obviously frustrated, Rua had no answer for “Bones,” and his face showed equal parts frustration and damage. The Thai clinch became Jones’ strongsuit, and Rua resorted to diving for his opponent’s legs while hoping for some miraculous comeback.

It wouldn’t happen.

After meditating briefly on the stool between the second and third rounds, Jones arose and unleashed hell.

Rua again attacked the leg, and simply allowed Jones to again assume top position – a spot which has now proven lethal to four-consecutive opponents. Jones unloaded powerful punches and elbows, and Rua crumpled under the pressure of the assault. Referee Herb Dean watched closely as Rua tried desperately to avoid the onslaught of blows, but Jones was both pinpoint and powerful. Rua did scramble to his feet, but it was only to absorb massive punches and fight-ending knee to the skull.

Rua fell to the floor, and as Dean rushed in to save him, the Brazilian also tapped sheepishly with his right hand. Two minutes and 37 seconds into the third round, Jones was the sport’s newest champion; Rua was hardly recognizable. According to a CompuStrike report, Jones landed some 87 total strikes in the contest; Rua just 13.

“It means a lot to me, but now I know I have a huge target on my back,” Jones said after receiving the belt. “And when you guys come and strike at me, I’ll be ready to strike right back.”

Following the celebration, former UFC champion and current Jones training partner Rashad Evans was brought into the cage and announced as the new title holder’s next defense.

With his fifth-straight octagon win and an utter dismantling of one of the sport’s all-time greatest fighters, Jones (13-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) appears poised for true greatness the likes of which the sport has rarely seen. Rua (19-5 MMA, 3-3 UFC) falls to 1-2 in his past three fights.

Faber finishes strong, earns unanimous nod

For five minutes, three-to-one underdog Eddie Wineland looked like he had the Urijah Faber riddle solved. The former WEC bantamweight champion showed stellar takedown offense against the wrestling standout, and Wineland flashed the boxing skills that had guided him to four-straight wins entering Saturday night.

Then everything changed.

Faber caught a low kick 90 seconds into the second round and tripped Wineland to the floor. “The California Kid” set up in top position and remained there until the end of the round. Along the way, Faber racked up points with short punches, elbows from the top and an occasional slam to the floor.

With the fight on the line in the third, the question was simply who would be able to implement their gameplan for the final five minutes. The answer was Faber, but the gameplan was Wineland’s for much of the frame.

Content to stand and trade, Faber flashed his speed while delivering quick and accurate punches to the chin. Wineland was wobbled by the crisp punches, and Faber sealed the victory with a takedown in the closing moments of the round. A little more ground and pound from the former WEC bantamweight champion clinched the result, and Wineland’s facial expression at the final bell showed little belief he could potentially steal a result.

He couldn’t, and Faber was awarded a unanimous-decision win, 29-28 on all three cards.

Now 2-0 at 135 pounds, Faber (25-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC) appears a near-lock to face current champion Dominick Cruz in the near future. Wineland (18-7-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) tastes defeat for the first time in five trips to the cage.

Miller stops Shalorus, asks for title shot

There are still a few seats left on the Jim Miller bandwagon, but they’re filling quickly. The New Jersey native delighted his hometown crowd with an impressive third-round stoppage of tough-as-nails WEC import Kamal Shalorus.

The opening round was the most competitive of the fight, and both fighters stood toe-to-toe and fired off massive power shots. Miller’s straight punches were a hair faster than Shalorus’ patented wild hooks, but each connected in spots. Miller hit the deck a few times on missed guillotine choke attempts, but Shalorus never settled into top position.

In the second, Miller flashed his grappling prowess with a surprising single-leg takedown and brilliant transition to Shalorus’ back. With a body triangle firmly in place, Miller spent several minutes on the back, searching for a choke that would never come. Nevertheless, Miller cranked on the chin while maintaining pressure around his opponent’s body. The finish didn’t come, but the work paid off in the final frame.

With Shalorus slowing in the final frame, Miller launched forward with a lead uppercut that rattled his foe. Shortly after, a knee to the chin saw Shalorus slump to the canvas. Miller pounced with a flurry of right hands that forced the stoppage at the 2:15 mark of the frame.

Following the win, Miller praised Shalorus for his durability.

“I knew the first time I laid my hands on him that he was tough,” Miller said. “It was just a matter of picking him apart, gassing him out and picking my opportunity.”

With the win, Miller (20-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) has now claimed seven-straight wins in the octagon. The always-humble AMA Fight Club fighter had to be prodded by his corner into asking for a shot at the title, but he claimed he’s prepared for the challenge.

“That’s seven in a row in arguably the toughest division in the UFC,” Miller said. “I’m ready for a title shot. I come in here and fight my heart out.”

Shalorus (7-1-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) loses for the first time as a professional.

Marquardt survives scare, cruises to decision win

For a moment, it looked like Dan Miller might just do the impossible. Stepping up from the evening’s preliminary card on short notice to replace Yoshihiro Akiyama and take on perennial contender Nate Marquardt, Miller had his trademark guillotine choke wrapped around the neck of his opponent. Alas, it was not to be.

The first-round scare for Marquardt was Miller’s most threatening moment, but “The Great” was able to escape the hold and take over from top position. Miller would briefly hold a choke again in the second round, but it was Marquardt who began to impose his will. With his corner calling out combinations, Marquardt opened up on the feet and tagged Miller with well-timed combinations and pinpoint high kicks. A flying knee let Miller catch the leg and send Marquardt to the floor, but he couldn’t capitalize on the position.

In the final frame, Marqaurdt took control of the fight and begun to grind away from top position. Miller was valiant in his effort, but Marquardt was simply too much, and he cruised to a unanimous-decision win.

With the win, Marqaurdt (31-10-2 MMA, 10-4 UFC) improves to 2-2 in his past four fights. Meanwhile, Miller (13-5 MMA, 5-4 UFC) sees a two-fight win streak snapped. The gritty AMA Fight Club product has yet to be finished in his career.

Schaub drops “Cro Cop” in back-and-forth scrap

The night’s pay-per-view opening matchup saw heavyweight prospect Brendan Schaub take a big step forward with a third-round knockout of MMA legend Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic. It was anything but pretty, but “The Hybrid” did enough to earn the nod.

The opening round started out as a bit of a stalemate, and both fighters wrestled for position in the clinch. Schaub received a warning for punching Filipovic in the back of the head, but the break provided an opportunity for Schaub to score a takedown and unleash a few ground-and-pound blows from the top.

Filipovic did land a nice upkick in the series, and a well-timed sweep attempt saw him scramble back to his feet. However, with little offense from the Croatian once there, Schaub appeared to have done enough to secure the frame.

Things got especially interesting in the second round. Schaub again worked the fight to the floor, and as he looked to pass guard, he was caught with an illegal upkick, for which Filipovic received his own warning from Dean. Once back on the feet, it was Filipovic who went to work on the inside, cutting up Schaub with a short elbow that left him a bloody mess. Adding insult to injury, another shot to the back of the head from Schaub earned a one-point deduction.

In the final frame, the fight appeared to hang in the balance. An early kick to the cup from Filipovic saw the round start out awkward, but Schaub eventually provided the contest’s much-needed highlight-reel moment.

After a pair of takedowns, Schaub timed a Filipovic kick perfectly and delivered a crushing right hand to the ear that saw “Cro Cop” crash to the floor. Dean immediately rushed in to stop the fight, but Schaub snuck in one more devastating blow. The end came at the 3:44 mark of the final frame.

After the win, Schaub addressed UFC president Dana White.

“It was my birthday yesterday, so a knockout bonus would be nice,” Schaub said. “Think about it, Dana.”

With the win, Schaub (8-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) now owns a four-fight win streak and is climbing quickly in the heavyweight division’s rankings. Meanwhile, Filipovic (27-9-2 MMA, 4-5 UFC) has suffered back-to-back third-round TKO losses and at 36 years old may be nearing the end of an illustrious career.

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